Small children have their uses

Writes Bookish Barbara (who's now a mom -- congrats, BB!):

Tip of the week: take small smiley baby shopping with you. Checkout girl will be so busy cooing and talking to the baby that she will completely forget to scan everything in your basket and you'll save a few quid.

Good word

"Jesus wept, he felt abandoned."

-- Elvis Costello, "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror"

Don't touch

My museum series on the Daily Page continues with a report from the UW-Madison geology museum. And looky, now my museum reviews have a page all their own.

Good word

"I learned how to swim, and I learned who I was."

-- Alan Jackson & Jimmie Ray McBride, "Chattahoochee"